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Monday, August 19, 2013

REVIEW {33} Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

CROWN OF MIDNIGHT

SERIES: Throne of Glass #2 | OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:Throne of Glass #1; The Assassin and the Pirate Lord #0.1; The Assassin and the Desert #0.2; The Assassin and the Underworld #0.3; The Assassin and the Empire #0.4

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

MY THOUGHTS: I am still completely awestruck after finishing this book. Being the second book in the series, I wasn't sure if it was going to be just as good as Throne of Glass, but I have to say it was, if not better! There was so much action and suspense and mystery and romance in this one that every single page turbo-charged my emotions and left me with a wicked book hangover!

When I finished Throne of Glass I had marked Celaena down as my #1 Favorite Heroine of All Time. When I finished Crown of Midnight, that statement was confirmed ten times over. Everything that Celaena goes through would break any other person, but she is able to navigate it all with calm and grace. She is one of the strongest, most selfless people that I've ever had the pleasure of reading about.

Crown of Midnight really puts Celaena to the test. She is now the King's Assassin, and is sent out on routine missions to take out any of the people he suspects are starting a rebellion against him. But, Celaena of course has secrets of her own - ones she keeps even from Chaol, her maybe-more-than-just-a-crush, and her first true, best friend Nehemiah. She's still in an awkward spot with Prince Dorian, but luckily we see their friendship resurrected, and become even stronger.

All of the characters in this series are wonderful! They are so well developed that they feel truly 3D and real. Maas has no problem putting her characters in completely crazy scenarios and letting them live, die, figure out secrets, solve mysteries, you name it. This series has a little bit of everything (including a talking door knocker named Mort!) so no matter what your usual genre is, you'll definitely be able to find something you love in this series.

One of my favorite things about this series, is that it goes places you are not expecting, and introduces characters you'll be thinking about long after you finish the book. I cannot think of anything that I would change that happened plot-wise in the second installment of this series. Everything is so unique and different but ties together in the end. I cannot wait to see where book three takes us, because I know that it is going to be different from the first two books, but I think Celaena's adventures are just getting started.

This is one series that I already find myself recommending to people, whether they read high fantasy or not. It's one that I do find myself thinking about weeks after I've finished the book. Maas is an absolutely incredible storyteller, one that I'll happily read without a second thought.

2 comments:

Great review! I gave this one 5 stars as well. I liked it even more than Throne of Glass! I love your unique feature where you add similar reads at the end of your review posts! Very clever. : ) I have a lil something special to give you at book club on the 28th(so you better be coming!), it's a surprise... *wink* *wink*

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Hey bookworms! I'm Laura and I am a book addict. I read mainly YA and love all genres but paranormal, dystopian, fantasy, and sci-fi stories have a special place in my heart! I adore fairies, fictional boy-crushing, and spending way too much time on facebook and twitter. I love to meet new people and share my love of books so say hi and hang out for awhile :)

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